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Anglers are reporting nice catches of bluegills, mostly at Chequamegon Waters (Miller Dam Flowage).
A few are topping the nine-inch-long mark, according to the folks at the nearby bait shop. They also noted a slow-down in the bite with the string of warm days coming to an end.
There really isn’t a cluster of anglers out there to promote one part of the flowage over another, according to Hook, Line and Sinker. The best bets seem to be straight out from the dam, by the Hogsback off Fisherman Loop Road or out from the northernmost boat ramp on CTH G.
Folks at the shop said bluegills are being caught on wax worms and they are hanging tight to the bottom in about eight feet of water. Red is a hot color especially on sunny days, they said.
Northerns are hitting on shiners. Bass fishing continues to be slow. There is about 14 inches of ice, and most of the slushy snow has melted leaving the surface really slick in most places.
“It sounds like they are catching fish,” said bait shop owner Dick Shotliff.
Shotliff said it might take some sorting, but anglers are catching their limits at Miller Dam Flowage. He suggested a small orange or chartreuse jig tipped with a wax worm, noting anglers appear to be migrating toward the north end of the flowage. He added the panfish seem to be hanging right off the bottom in about six or seven feet of water along the channel.
Shotliff added crappie, northern and bass activity has been slow lately.
Bait shop owner Pete Peterson said the recent fish tournament attracted good numbers of anglers, but action has been sporadic. A few panfish are being caught on wax worms, but the walleye bite has been sporadic with little to brag about.
Bait shop owner Fuzzy Ellenbecker included Mondeaux Flowage and Lake Esadore for panfish and northerns, and Anderson and Sackett Lake for panfish among his list of don’t-miss fishing hotspots.
He recommended a small chartreuse, pink or white jig tipped with a wax worm. He also said try a darker color like brown or purple if brighter colors don’t seem to be working.
The crappies aren’t biting great, but a few anglers are catching some on small minnows. Try areas similar to where bluegills are being caught.
“Last weekend (January 4-6) were really good,” Ellenbecker said.
According to the state Department of Natural Resources fishing report, the mild weather of the past week has deteriorated ice conditions on lakes and flowages across the northwoods. The snow cover has been reduced to just a few inches on most waters — but there is still a good amount of slush and water on top of the ice. The milder temperatures and standing water has caused the upper portion of the ice cover to soften up a bit. Combined with the variable ice thickness that has been found on many lakes, any travel with motor vehicles is a dangerous proposition and extreme caution is urged.
Walleye and panfish have been the main target for anglers in the past week and action could be termed fair. Walleye activity seemed to pick up a bit with the milder temperatures and a few anglers were reporting some decent catches. The best action has been near dark on the cloudy and milder days, with golden shiners fished near break lines in 6 to 12 feet of water. Most of the walleye have been in the 12 to 16-inch size but fish up to 24 inches have been reported.
Northern pike action has also shown an increase as the reduced snow cover has increased light penetration and seems to bumped up feeding activity. Large golden shiners or sucker minnows fished near deeper weed beds or the deep break lines have produced some nice fish, with a few pike up to 34 inches being caught.
Panfish anglers have seen some fair and steady action, with some nice crappie and perch being caught 1 to 3 feet off bottom in 15 to 25 feet of water.
http://www.centralwinews.com/starnews/fishing.htmlhttp://www.wisconsinoutdoor.com/solunar.htm
